Only way out is exit

A three-day “peace jirga” in Afghanistan has given rise to more questions than answers. President Hamid Karzai called the jirga to win an endorsement for a peace deal with the Taliban so that it could be held out as a nationally mandated plan. The Taliban, the real and deadly opposition, was not invited; and the non-attendance of some heavyweight opposition politicians took away from the moment. Still, this traditional assembly, seen as a very Afghan way of taking crucial decisions, has helped the embattled Mr. Karzai put behind him some of the controversy surrounding his re-election last year. But the workability of the proposed peace deal is another matter. Foremost among the difficulties relates to the issue of what can be gained by negotiating with a reactionary and brutal group that rejects every way of ordering the world except its own, and Al-Qaeda's. Secondly, the Taliban has a strong card to play: it will not negotiate unless its condition that all foreign troops in Afghanistan must leave is met. Mr. Karzai, however, wants to implement his plan under the protective umbrella of the U.S./ NATO security forces. His game plan is to wean away ‘non-ideological' Taliban fighters with an amnesty, cash, and jobs. There is talk of offering asylum to hardline Taliban leaders in another country, possibly Saudi Arabia, and of working on the international community to have some other Taliban leaders taken off a US/UN blacklist. This would have made sense were the Taliban on the verge of military defeat. It is inconceivable that at this point, when the Taliban senses victory, the core leadership will opt for voluntary exile. Then there is the matter of how compatible Mr. Karzai's plan is with the interests of Pakistan and the United States.

Now in its ninth year, the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan has sent the country down a spiral of unending calamity. According to Professor Marc W. Herold, who runs the Afghan Victim Memorial Database, the occupying forces have killed more than 8,500 Afghan civilians from 2001 to the end of February 2010; and the toll has risen steadily since then. With a senseless troop surge under way, close to 80,000 American soldiers are now in Afghanistan. The number is set to nearly double by August 2010, before a planned withdrawal beginning July 2011. Despite the failures in Helmand earlier this year, another operation is imminent in Kandahar. It is certain to add to the appalling number of civilian casualties, which can only aid the Taliban by increasing its support base. The only way to resolve the Afghan conflict is for the occupation to end, and for Afghanistan's neighbours and the U.S. to stop meddling in its affairs. The people of Afghanistan have suffered too long — and the country must be allowed to find the most viable way out of the mess, whatever it takes.

Afghanistan doesn’t only need a military which is trying hard since last nine long years to drive out the Taliban which actually lives in the minds of Afghans. Besides rolling out billions of dollars on the kind of battle NATO is fighting, it should also spend a comparable amount in educating and training Afghans and developing the infrastructure. Many a time afghan women deny talking to or even taking medical help. Improving the living conditions and making the people realize that Taliban-ism isn’t the way of life will gradually drive the tyrants out of the war struck country. But for the common support Taliban would crumble soon under NATO pressure. After having come this long, receding would be disastrous for Afghanistan.

from:
Shalu Agrawal

Posted on: Jun 13, 2010 at 15:43 IST

Islamic jihad wrongly interpreted and misused by vested 'Mullah-Ruler'accomplice to exploit and satisfy their imperialistic aspirations. Even Saddam Hussein took out this card at the end.Thus spread of Islam is attributed to this unislamic jihad. Philosophical misinterpretation must be checked at the Madarasa level. Material education,employment, and empowerment of these people of socially committed peace loving group can end war and establish peace sans bullets.

from:
Nasarudheen.P.Kasargod.Kerala.

Posted on: Jun 10, 2010 at 19:31 IST

If the US and foreign troops leave now nothing would have been achieved by all the blood shed. Afganisthan must be purged from weapons let the warlords and the taliban fight with sticks and stones.

from:
Nikhil Reddy

Posted on: Jun 10, 2010 at 16:16 IST

I am surprised at the editorial. Does The Hindu recommend that the people of Afghanistan should be subjected to Taliban rule and the consequential terrorization of women. Just because there are a series of bomb blasts killing innocent people, does that mean elected representatives and those who have come to aid them should surrender to the Talibans who believe in living two centuries behind. Karzai and the NATO forces should fight and law of the land should prevail. Don't forget NATO went into Yugoslavia to help innocent people and to get rid of elements who were inimical to human rights. NATO is doing the same thing in Afghanistan. They should not buckle under pressure because of such bomb blasts. Wake up, The Hindu.

from:
Raju

Posted on: Jun 10, 2010 at 14:33 IST

How can America make progress in few years. It takes decades to fix issues.

Countries who had independence took centuries. It will take few decades just for stability and then progress with all this resistance.

Author must check ground reality. Taliban is terrorists organization. There is no good or bad terrorism.

from:
srini

Posted on: Jun 10, 2010 at 11:56 IST

The editorial correctly sums up the view of the onlookers of the conflict. In the earlier comment, Mr Alex seems to forget that occupation will always remain occupation no matter whatever reason you ascribe to it. The intentions of USA vis a vis afghanistan have never been and will never be good (the exploitation of an entire population against the cold war rivals). Governed by shameless self interest meddling here and there will give you the same outcome as has been experienced earlier with Russia.

from:
Ammar

Posted on: Jun 10, 2010 at 10:56 IST

it is very hard to judge who is right for the commoner............

from:
ankur

Posted on: Jun 8, 2010 at 00:05 IST

Even if the number of civilians killed is such as stated in the article, the article does not reflect on what would have happened if the invasion had not taken place in the first place. The military exercise may not have been a success, and it may have pushed the western forces to the wall more often than not, but we cant deny that there has been a tangible effect on the taliban and its activities and their sources of revenue, namely the poppy trade. That the taliban has been smelling victory is the main reason why the forces should not quit the place now. Had Pakistan not arrested the top taliban figures before the first scheduled opening of the jirga, they would have participated in all possibility and it would have added to the significance of the same. There are many interests at play in this field. Quitting all of a sudden at his junction would be nothing but a catastrophe.

from:
Roshin Unnikrishnan

Posted on: Jun 7, 2010 at 21:18 IST

outstanding

from:
satyavir singh

Posted on: Jun 7, 2010 at 17:51 IST

It is the height of arrogance and insolence on the part of the Anglo-Americans to insist that they are the sole repositories of everything moral and superior and they enjoy the manifest destiny of bringing peace, freedom and democracy to the rest of the world.

Over the years, they have claimed that they are In Afghanistan to purge the country of Taliban; to eliminate Al Quida as the first line of defence of the USA and UK lie on the Pamir and Hindukush mountains; to liberate the women of Afghanistan; to establish a prosperous Afghanistan; to facilitate the birth of a free, democratic Afghanistan.

None of these objectives have been achieved. Instead the whole of Afghanistan has been pulverised with heavy bombardment; the atrocities committed by Nato forces led by Anglo-American imperialists against the people of Afghanistan with killing of innocent civilians and destroying normal life are at least comparable to if not worse than those committed by Sadam Hussain against the Iraqis or by the Taliban against the Afghans themselves.

Afghanistan being the near abroad of India, we should take the initiative in declaring a new Monroe doctrine that we do not need the help of the new world in redressing the imbalances of the old. Let the Americans go back from Afghanistan, Iraq,the islands of Diego Garica and Diego Sores of the Chagos Archepelego and abandon the Eisenhower doctrine of filling the power vacuum of West Asia and North Africa.

from:
mohansingh

Posted on: Jun 7, 2010 at 14:40 IST

I don't think quitting is the right solution. Let me give a few glaring inaccuracies.

Firstly, the statement that 'the occupying forces have 'killed' 8500 civilians in nine years' is a statement only the Taliban will make. It is now a well-known ploy of guerrilla fighters to use human shields and hide behind them to use the emotional appeal of innocent deaths. This was the strategy of LTTE and so is it with many other guerrilla organizations.

And very importantly, we must not forget that on one single day 3500 US civilians were killed by Afghanistan – based terrorists in the 9/11 act of terror. And these terrorists are unrepentant and continue to plot to kill in increasingly larger numbers. If they can kill hundred thousand civilians on a single day, they would go for it! The paper seems to forget this reality and the raison detre for the Afghanistan invasion in the first place.

The article doesn't compare the situation in Afghanistan before and after the American invasion. How many civilians died in Taliban induced violence previous to US invasion? Without this figure, the statement of deaths doesn't give a good picture as to whether the situation has improved or deteriorated.

Next, the paper forgets that the quixotic advice to US not to meddle in Afghanistan’s affairs is equally applicable to Afghanistan - they shouldn't meddle in US's affairs as well! The whole problem started because an Osama Bin Laden and the terror factories of Af-Pak lawless areas started plotting scheme after scheme to kill innocent people in the Western world. Although it might not happen any time soon, the paper would do well to advise these terrorists to stop meddling in the affairs of USA and the West.

And lastly, the paper doesn’t take into consideration what would happen if the NATO forces quit Afghanistan. It will be tantamount to leaving the country in the hands of the fissiparous war lords, who will then fight one another and self-destruct. It will also be a clear signal to the terror schemers to intensify their meddling in the West. It is easy to quit, whereas the actual challenge is to eradicate the terror elements there and make the world a safe place from them.

On the whole the article is a shoddy, myopic and escapist analysis of the scenario in Afghanistan. The Hindu articles are becoming incorrigibly devoid of substance.

from:
Alex Abraham

Posted on: Jun 7, 2010 at 14:12 IST

Dear Sir, Your concern for the condition of the Afghan people is appreciable, although lacking foresight. Your preference for withdrawal seem to have overlooked the history of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Taliban provided a safe sanctuary for the Islamic fundamentalism to prosper in Afghanistan. Taliban and its ally Al-Quida got involved in numerous attacks all through out the world. As Indians we have more reason to be apprehensive of an withdrawal because of Taliban's so called ideological proximity to the J&K cause. Talibans and the terrorists operating in J&K are not different people, which was so evident in the Indian Airliner IC-814 hijack episode. Leaving Afghanistan to its own at this point of time means handing it over to the Talibans. It may perhaps solve the problems in Afghanistan in the short term, but is bound to create problems in the medium and long term not only for Afghan people but for whole of the World's civilization. It is time to strike and strike hard in the epicenter of the problem. India should support the anti Taliban cause by all the means it can garner, because if the cause fails somehow, then, our problems will be magnified a thousand times in times to come.